Ohio approves easements for 58 farms covering 5,165 acres as protected farmland tops 111,000 acres

Representative Image (AI-generated) As development puts pressure on agricultural land, keeping farms in production has become an important part of long-term land conservation. Ohio has taken another step in that direction, approving local sponsors to purchase agricultural easements on 58 family farms covering 5,165 acres across 36 counties. According to a report published by Ohio’s Country Journal on October 11, 2026, the approvals allow local sponsors to pursue easement purchases intended to protect the land from future non-agricultural development while farmers retain ownership and continue working their land. Ohio has more than 111,000 acres of permanently preserved farmland across 769 family farms in 62 counties, including land protected under related programmes.How the agricultural easement programme worksThe latest approvals fall under Ohio’s Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP), which uses public funding to help protect farmland from being converted to other uses. The programme allows local organisations to purchase agricultural easements from farmers who voluntarily agree to keep their land in agricultural production.These easements place a permanent restric...